Hybrid Cars, Alternative Fuels, And The Environment

The earth is running out of petroleum based fuels. Hybrid cars and alternative fuels are steps in the process to save the earth. Learn about these, and other things that might allow our grandchildren to live here.

Global pollution, which is largely caused by motor vehicles, has exceeded the permitted level. Oil prices also have increased significantly over the last 5 years. Recently many car manufacturers have started to produce cars with hybrid technology to overcome these problems.

Hybrid technology reduces fuel consumption, and produces less pollution. This green technology has the potential to replace the conventional petroleum based energy technology. It was first developed more than a hundred years ago. The first car equipped with hybrid technology was built in the year 1950. In the last decade, car manufacturers have shown significant improvements on hybrid technology. Many types of hybrid vehicles have been unveiled in many car exhibitions or motor shows. Some are already out in the market.

There are many advantages of hybrid cars, and below are some you know need to know:

1. Hybrid technology helps reduce fuel consumption significantly. This ground breaking technology combines the use of electricity and fuel to run a car. As a result of this, a hybrid car use up to 50% less fuel than gasoline powered cars. With reduced fuel consumption, you can reduce your monthly expenses as well.

2. Hybrid vehicles only produce 30% of the amount of emissions produced by conventional vehicles. This means less air pollution, which is good for the Earth. Air pollution is one of the main causes of global warming. When you use a hybrid car, you help slow down global warming. Perhaps some people are still not aware that global warming has caused numerous natural disasters, extreme weather changes, and rising sea levels. You do not have to wait for the government to take actions against global warming. You can start acting now to help slow down global warming by using a hybrid car.

3. If you buy a hybrid car, the government will give you tax incentives. The government encourages their citizens to use hybrid cars as a means of reducing pollution by granting tax credits for green technology users. The amount of incentive given varies depending on the type of the car. You can ask car dealers for more information about the tax credit policy.

4. Besides reducing monthly gasoline expenses, cars with green technology can reduce maintenance cost, because it needs less maintenance than conventional cars. Although hybrid cars are a little bit expensive than ordinary cars, they are more economical in the long run. Sooner or later, the prices of hybrid cars will decrease. When that time comes, they will be affordable for anyone.

Well, if we take question #3 first, the answer is probably going to be that you want to do something about the environment, cut down on noise pollution, and you want to stop supporting "big oil". Some might also say that they want to save money.

I think that brings us to question #2.

It can actually cost anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars to convert a gas powered car to an electric one. It is hard to come up with an exact estimate because so many factors, including the year, make, and model of the car you are converting come into play. This will influence the size of the battery pack you will need. Local availibility of parts, and your personal skill and knowledge come into play.

That's probably question #1.

Even if you are a skilled mechanic, which will make some aspects of the process easy, ou probably have little or no experience building an electric car. You will need a kit, a mentor, or at least a set of instructions. There are many suck instructional manuals around. I cannot say that one is "better" than another, but I do know that there is one at www.electricity4gas.com which seems to be fairly comprehensive, and, at a cost of only $32.95, it's a cheap way to get the info you need to decide whether or not to pursue the project. The site owner also claims that you can convert a gas car to an electric one for about $300 using his manual.

If you are interested in possibly converting a gasoline powered car to an electric one, but have no idea how to get started, it's worth a visit to www.electricity4gas.com to at least get some basic information about the project.

Specific features of this model include: Child Safety Door Locks and Power door Locks

Anti Theft Alarm and Vehicle Theft Tracking Notification, Selective Unlocking, Front and Rear Power Disc Brakes, Front and Rear Body Color Bumpers, Turbocharger and intercooler, DVD Player and SD Card Reader. In addition to this there are 2 Fog lights in front, Tire Pressure Monitor and Trip Computer. You will also find a Digital Clock, Compass, Automatic Climate Control and Tachometer.

Specific features of this model include: Six Seated Air Bags, 4-Wheel ABS, Traction Control and Auto-on Headlights. Apart from this you have Electronic Stability Control, Back-up Camera and Vehicle Anti-theft System. For the comfort factor it has Dual Zone Front Air Conditioning. Some more features include Keyless Entry, Mirrors with Memory, Driver and Passenger Illuminated Vanity Mirror, Front and Rear Reading Lamps, Heated Driver and Passenger Seats, and last but not the least the Navigation System.

The ML350 comes with a price tag of $50,490 and the more advanced ML63 comes at $92,590. The other models in the range are ML350 SUV Type priced at $48,990, ML450 Hybrid will cost $55,790 and ML550 SUV will cost $57,590. All Grand edition M Class Models come with 19-inch light alloy wheels with Y-spoke design, which makes them a class apart from the rest. Comfort and Style have been prioritized with Power trunk Closing Assist, Rear Seat Entertainment System and One touch Window functionality. Safety and Security features are as detailed as you will find in any Mercedes-Benz, keeping up with the company's reputation of making some of the safest cars on road.

Wednesday, May 04, 2011

New cars come and go, but every year, more new hybrids are hitting the streets. Personally, I spend a lot of my time keeping track of health and fitness and blogging about that, and don't keep track of what's going on. Also, I have been driving my 2006 Toyota Prius for the last five years and intend to keep it for 10 more. However, there are people who can keep the both of us up-to-date on what's new in the hybrid car arena. Erica Christensen is one of these, and I hope you enjoy, and benefit from, her article which I have posted below:

The Nissan Altima is now available both in sedan as well as coupe styles. The hybrid models really represent success if they are judged according to the design. The base price of Nissan Altima Hybrid 2011 is about $19,900. The 2.5 model includes several features such as, CVT, power windows, steering wheels are tilted or telescoping, adjustable driver's seat and the temperature indicator.

The 2.5 sedans as well as 2.5 S sedans and the coupe have got 175 HP which you can enjoy. The feeding rate of fuel is not lowest but is pretty good for an engine of 2.5. In the market Nissan Altima Hybrid has got no competition from other models such as Toyota Camry or the hybrid Chevrolet Malibu. All the sedans of Altima comes with the CVT which acts as an automatic transmission but only delivers power such as rheostat. The 2011 Nissan coupes are now available with CVT choice or 6 manual transmission speeds, which is regardless of the engine size.

Over all Altima hybrid provides a smooth ride, quick as well as agile. The car is sporty but it is family friendly. It is really a fun to take a ride in this car and for comforts you don't have to sacrifice the performance. The V-6 hops starting from 0 to 60 mph within 6.6 seconds.

There is a small distance between the rear and front axles, the coupe is easy to handle. The base Nissan Altima rel=nofollow [http://www.hybridcarblog.net]hybrid car with 4 cylinders of 2.5 L is good but now the competitors have also got sportier models of same range price. The length of Altima has been cut down by 2 inches as compared to the last model, which result in small legroom. The sedan can hold about 4 adults comfortably but the headroom as well as legroom will be small.

Nissan Altima Hybrid uses top materials for its design and class as compared to others. It has an aggressive as well as unique personality. It has been a favorite family car for many years. The blend of style as well as sport rolled in this family vehicle has made it popular.

This 4 cylinder model has about 23 MPG in the city road and 32 MPG on the highway. The engine V6 should have about 19 MPG in the road of city and on highway it has 27 MPG. Nissan Altima offers a warranty of 36,000 mile for 3 years and 60,000 mile warranty for 5 years.

Sunday, May 01, 2011

Despite the devastation in the South from the recent tornadoes, wind farms seem to have escaped relatively unscathed. However, some point out that wind turbines in the affected area are somewhat scarce.

On the other hand, many wind farm operators were quick to point out that wind turbines used in areas of the country where high winds ARE fairly common, are designed to withstand extremely high winds.

Even so, most wind turbines are designed for operation in winds ranging between 25 and 50 mph. They are not designed for winds of tornadic strength, and even sub-tornado winds in excess of this range can cause severe damage to wind turbines.

On the other hand, in most instances, wind farm operators will have enough advance notice so as to be able to set the vanes on the turbines so that they will be less affectd by high winds.

Operators of American wind farms, which are found in 38 of the 50 states, are encouraged by the survival of most wind turbines in Japan recently.

Wind, which has long been an important source of power for man can also be a source of destruction.
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